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WASHINGTON - After the Environmental Protection Agency released new rules last week aimed at cutting emissions from coal-fired power plants, Democrat Alison Lundergan Grimes's campaign insisted she was so angry she would use a Washington fundraiser to demand that the Senate fight back.

But a taped recording of the Grimes fundraiser at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill on June 5 reveals that Kentucky's secretary of state did not mention the word "coal" during her 11-minute-long remarks, according to a report in Politico.

The Grimes campaign did not dispute the authenticity of the recording, but spokeswoman Charly Norton said Politico was being "selective" in its reporting. While Grimes did not discuss the EPA rules in her speech, "we used the event and the opportunity to speak to (Senate Majority) Leader (Harry) Reid" privately, Norton said.

But the campaign of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., considers the omission to be serious.

"Alison Lundergan Grimes just did exactly what every Kentuckian knew she would - tell them one thing and do another with Harry Reid," McConnell campaign spokeswoman Allison Moore said in a statement. "If there was any question about what she would do as a senator, this tape erased all doubt."

Kentucky Republican Party spokeswoman Kelsey Cooper said in a statement: "It's one thing to toe the Obama line, it's another to lie about it."

But Reid confirmed the Grimes campaign's account.

"Alison Lundergan Grimes has spoken against the president's proposed EPA rules to me many times, including last Thursday," Reid said in a statement Tuesday. "In fact, she has spoken with me about protecting Kentucky families by opposing the president's EPA rule far more times than Senator McConnell has, since Senator McConnell has not raised the issue with me once or sought to meet with me to discuss his ideas on this issue."

In coal-dependent Kentucky, which mines coal and depends on it for nearly all of its electricity, the Obama administration's efforts to combat climate change by reducing carbon emissions was roundly rejected both by Grimes and McConnell.

Even so, both candidates have sought to capitalize on perceived weaknesses in the other's political position.

McConnell has sought to portray Grimes as an Obama ally and a supporter of Reid, who has expressed concerns that "coal makes us sick."

Grimes has blamed McConnell for promoting political gridlock that encouraged the administration to circumvent Congress.

Norton had said this after the EPA rules were unveiled and before the Washington fundraiser: "Alison is absolutely livid about the new rule and plans to use the event to share stories of how Kentuckians are hurting and demand that the Senate take action to invest in clean coal technology."

However, her talk to about 60 campaign donors focused on McConnell and the Republican Party, Politico reported, based on the tape of the event.

Politico said it obtained the recording "through a source at the event."

Reid introduced Grimes to the contributors, referring to her as the "perfect candidate" and "something special." The Democratic leader also predicted his party would be victorious in Kentucky, Politico reported.

In her comments, Grimes addressed McConnell's efforts to emphasize her ties to Reid and to President Barack Obama.

"You didn't know this, but I apparently am the right hand to the president and to Leader Reid; they call me before they make any decision. Y'all did not know that, did you?" Grimes said, jokingly.

Grimes also referred to McConnell as the "senator of yesterday," adding "I just like to give Mitch McConnell a heart attack every time I come to D.C. to check out where my new office will be next year."

"Make no mistake, the hill that we are climbing...it is steep," Grimes cautioned. "But I will continue to run circles in my heels around Mitch McConnell."

The Grimes campaign and Reid's office both said she and the Democratic leader had spoken about her concerns regarding the EPA rules.

Grimes campaign manager Jonathan Hurst said in a statement the secretary of state "had strong words with Senator Reid regarding her displeasure with President Obama's new EPA regulations and the negative impact it could have on Kentucky families."

Adam Jentleson, spokesman for Reid, said Grimes spoke with the Nevadan before and after the fundraiser.